A tooth includes an upper part, referred to as the crown, made of dentin coated with enamel, and a lower part, generally referred to as pulp chamber including an upper pulp chamber and root canals that extend to the apex or apical section of the tooth into the jaw. The pulp chamber includes a living tissue, called the pulp, including blood vessels and nerves, present in the upper chamber and in the root canals. The nerves link the tooth to the general system and go to the system through little orifices of the root, called foramen.
Endodontic treatment may be needed in a number of situations well-known in the art, for example when the pulp is damaged following deep decay, traumatic injury, infection by bacteria, or after periodontal disease. Without treatment, an abscess can form at the root tip. This can lead to pain and swelling and may cause damage to surrounding bone, cementum and/or gum.
The aim of an endodontic treatment is to repair and save a tooth to avoid extraction. It includes:                removing the damaged pulp, including the removal of inflamed or dead nerves and blood vessels from the pulp chamber, until the pulp chamber and the root canals are empty,        cleaning and disinfecting the pulp chamber, including the root canals, after removal of possibly remaining pulp and/or mineral debris created by the endodontic instruments,        filling and sealing the root canal and the foramen with an inert, biocompatible material.        
One method for filling root canals involves using naturally occurring or synthetic Gutta Percha, an isomer of rubber. Gutta Percha points having a tapered conical shape can be prepared, and these points can be fitted into the root canal. Depending on the clinical situation, the practionner may consider appropriate—or not—the use Gutta Percha points. However, the prior art compositions are either monoblock, which means that they are supposed to be used without Gutta Percha points, and to completely fill the canal root (main canals as well as lateral and accessory canals); or the prior art compositions are monocone (or multi-cone) which means that they are supposed to be used with at least one Gutta Percha point to ensure a satisfactory sealing.
There is thus a need to provide a multi-function composition, which both provides a very good adhesion to Gutta Percha points and may be used as monocone (or multicone) composition, and may also be used as a monoblock composition without any Gutta Percha points.
In some situations, a first endodontic treatment may need to be renewed. This may happen for example in the following situations where:                narrow or curved canals were not treated during the initial procedure,        complicated canal anatomy went undetected in the first procedure,        the placement of the crown or other restoration was delayed following the endodontic treatment,        the restoration did not prevent salivary contamination to the inside of the tooth,        new decay, or loose, cracked or broken crown causing a new infection in the tooth.        
There is thus a need to provide a composition, which provides a good sealing in an endodontic first treatment (good adhesion to dentine and optionally Gutta Percha points), and which can be renewed, whatever the mode of use (with or without Gutta Percha points).
Well-known cements of the prior art are Portland cements, which are mixed with water prior to operation to form a slurry-like composition that is introduced into the root canal defect. Other cements are well-known in the prior art, among them may be cited: phenoplasts, which are phenol formaldehyde resins (PF) including synthetic thermosetting resins such as obtained by the reaction of phenols (for example resorcinol) with formaldehyde; phenoplasts are made from ingredients known to be toxic, such as for example formaldehyde, and may have further drawbacks, such as a lack of sealing overtime;                mixtures of zinc oxide and eugenol, which lack of biocompatibility and may interact with composite restorative materials;        epoxy resin cements, with use of Gutta Percha points, which also lack of biocompatibility;        calcium hydroxide cements, which may not fully ensuring sealing and tightness;        cross-linkable composition, such as cross-linkable silicons or cross-linkable thermoplastic compositions with adhesive components, which are controversial in terms of durability, sealing and toxicity issues, due to their monomers.        
WO 2008/100451 discloses a composition for treating a root canal in a tooth, comprising: 1-80% of particulate material, 1-50% of a liquid phase comprising water soluble polymer, surfactant and water, the ratio of surfactant to water-soluble polymer being no greater than 6 to 1, the particulate material and liquid carrier being mixed together to form a hydrate gel material that can harden. In this document, it is emphasized that water-soluble polymer form complexes that impart desirable rheological properties to the composition.
WO 2005/087178 discloses a composite material comprising a polymer-infiltrated calcium cement, where the polymer may be polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylalcohol, and the like.
Besides the fact that these prior art composition are not multifunctional, i.e. susceptible to be used with or without Gutta Percha points, they are not adapted for retreatment of the tooth, which means that they can't be easily removed from a treated tooth.
Therefore, there still remains a need for a multifunctional composition (useful both with and without Gutta Percha), easily renewed (whatever the mode of use) and biocompatible.